Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2004/11/23
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Frank asked: >I have a question about the 2d image in the viewfinder of my M3. >I've read a little about this and think I know the answer but would >like the input of the list. Here goes: The 2d image in my M3 >viewfinder is much lighter than I would expect it to be. It is >certainly lighter or fainter than the 2d image in my M6-TTL. Does >this mean that the mirror needs to be cleaned somehow (via CLA)? >Are there other problems that could cause the 2d image to be faint? >I've also read about separation in the viewfinder being evident by >the rangefinder patch "blacking out." I don't think this is the >problem, nothing is black in the viewfinder. As always, thanks in >advance. An M3 I looked at recently (an early d/s) has precisely this problem. The patch is nice and bright, but the secondary image is much fainter than it should be in low light and disappears entirely in bright light. Turning the camera round and looking through the small rangefinder window against the light coming through the v/f eyepiece, I can see that the mirror (if that's what I'm seeing) appears to be 'foxed' - i.e. the silvering is mottled, and thus not reflecting all the light it should. DAG maintains that in his experience, 90% of all rangefinder problems of this type can be solved by a good clean. I have a feeling this probably falls within the other 10%, and is not surprising in a camera coming up to 50 years old. That said, it's the first time I've ever come across this problem with any M. It's possible to have the mirror re-silvered as part of a CLA. In the UK see: http://www.angelfire.com/biz/Leica/page10.html I would imagine someone in the US offers a similar service. Best Alex -- Alex Hurst Waterfall Nr. Cork Ireland Tel: +353 214 543 328 (H) +353 214 270 907 (W) Fax: +353 214 271 248 email: corkflor@iol.ie Also: corkflor.2@virgin.net (when in the UK, which isn't often) Home website: http://www.iol.ie/~corkflor/ Business website: http://www.corkflorists.com/ Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) public key available at: http://pgpkeys.mit.edu:11371 ID: 0x5BB72019